DEAD AND INJURED>>>
1940:
Killed - 60. Injured - 190. Total - 250
1941:
Killed - 21. Injured - 104. Total - 125
1942 (year of the Blitz):
Killed - 258. Injured - 784. Total 1042
1943:
Killed - 1. Injured - 14. Total 15
HOMES >>>
During the war 2,082 houses were destroyed,
2,651 seriously damaged and 25,621 moderately damaged.
That means 30,354 houses out of a total of 35,569 in
Norwich at the start of the war in 1939 were damaged
or destroyed.
CITY
CENTRE >>>
Curls’ (now Debenhams) was reduced
to a pile of rubble.
Buntings (Marks & Spencer) was a smouldering shell.
Orford Place and many of the historic streets surrounding
it had been devastated. Parts of St Stephen’s (above)
were destroyed.
Many buildings in St Giles’ were smashed, and the
historic Hippodrome was hit.
The scene at Grapes Hill was horrific and the junction
with St Benedict’s was blown apart.
One of the best-loved factories in the city, Caley’s
the chocolate makers, was a twisted mass of wreckage.
PUBS >>>
The bold, beautiful and ancient Boar’s
Head in St Stephen’s was destroyed in the Blitz
along with a host of other pubs.
One of the few Norwich buildings which remained thatched
after fire-prevention laws imposed by Queen Elizabeth
I, this landmark on the corner of St Stephen’s
and Surrey Street was reduced to a pile of burning rubble.
The historic Dolphin (above) was also bombed along with
the Derby Arms in Derby Street and the Dial in Dereham
Road.
Others destroyed in the raids — and other attacks
— included the Vauxhall and the Spear in Hand in
Vauxhall Street, the Sportsman, Northumberland Street,
Jolly Farmers’ Inn, Farmers Avenue, Anchor of Hope
in Oak Street and the Currier’s Arms in Essex Street.
CHURCHES >>>
Many fine and historic Norwich churches
were blown apart in the Blitz. Apart from slight damage
both the cathedral and St Peter Mancroft survived but
others were in ruins.
St Benedict’s Church, a fine example of the Early
English style, had just one wall left but the tower,
apart from large holes in its side, was standing.
One of the newest churches, St Anne’s on the Earlham
estate was destroyed and St Thomas’s Church (above)
was gutted. In Heigham Road. St Philip’s Church
was damaged and St Bartholomew’s Church in Heigham
had its interior shattered. Its bells, fallen from the
tower, lay half-covered by rubble alongside what was
left of the font.
One of the oldest churches in Norwich, St Mary at Coslany
was also hit along with St Mary’s Baptist Chapel
in St Mary’s Plain.
The popular Friends Meeting House at Gildencroft
also received a direct hit.
The next threat to the cathedral was in June 1942 when
it seemed as if a deliberate attempt was made to destroy
it. Few heavy explosive bombs were dropped but the number
of incendiaries must have run into thousands. Fortunately
the gallantry of the firemen — led by Reginald
Pallent whose job it was to look after the cathedral
— stopped the fires from spreading, although at
least two houses nearby were destroyed.
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